Staff Assembly Minutes

Approval of Minutes:A motion was made by Bill McElver and seconded by Sandra Jacquot to approve the minutes from the March 2013 meeting; motion passed unanimously.

Guest Speakers:
Sandra Jacquot — Biweekly Payroll and Web-time EntryStarting July 1st of this year, we are moving away from monthly payroll to a biweekly payroll, as well as web-time entry. Biweekly pay means that you will receive 26 paychecks/year versus the 12 paychecks you receive now. Your yearly pay remains the same, but you can divide your current annual wages by 26 to give you an estimate of what your new gross wages per pay period will be. You will receive a paycheck every other Friday starting Friday, July 19th (which is for the first pay period July 1-14). Please refer to the 2013-2014 Payroll Calendar for specific pay dates. For employees who currently use timesheets, you will be switching from paper timesheets to electronic time entry. Employees will also switch to an electronic leave entry and approval process; both are via the MyNIC portal.

Please take time now to plan for transitioning your bill payment. If you have automatic withdrawals, you may want to adjust the dates to align with your new pay schedule. Also plan ahead if you have additional amounts withheld from your paycheck so that we aren’t deducting the same amount 26 times. Also of note, for two pay periods each year there is a “benefit holiday”, which means there will be no medical insurance deducted. If you have questions or concerns, you can attend one of the upcoming open forums to be announced; you can also e-mail us at biweeklypay@nic.edu

Alex Harris—Campus SecurityAs of March 1st, Campus Security now reports to the Vice President for Student Services and directly to Alex Harris. We are looking at new priorities for keeping our campus safe. Today on the MyNIC portal, you will see a new bookmark labeled “Campus Safety and Emergency Preparedness”. This is designed as a team site for emergency training resources. Please take a look at this site and the “Shots Fired” video.

We want this to be an interactive process. If you have any questions or concerns regarding campus security and emergency preparedness, please feel free to submit your questions to Alex. Also of note, Dr. Dunlap has supported funding of a campus-wide interior classroom door locks; Bill McElver and Facilities are currently working on this project.

Reports:
Senate Report

The RIF policy has been tabled.

The “Policy on Policies” resolution passed in Senate on March 21st

Jon Totten is currently working with Dr. Dunlap and President’s Cabinet on campus committee restructuring.

Board Meeting Report

There was a special report on the Educational Master Plan by Dr. Dunlap.

RGU Architects presented the report on our PTE Facility Planning.

See the President’s webpage for links to both of these documents.

Information/Updates:Staff Assembly Election of Officers (Erin Norvell)Next week you will receive e-mail notification for our nomination of officers for next year. The positions we will be filling include Vice-Chair, Secretary, three senators and two alternates. If you are nominated, please review the duties of officers listed on the Staff Assembly web page. Erin will confirm with nominees that they will accept the nomination, and once the nominees are approved we will proceed with online voting. Officers will be announced on May 9th at our next Staff Assembly meeting.

Staff Appreciation Awards (Nancy Edwards)Nominations for Staff Appreciation awards will be accepted through the end of today, April 11th. We currently have 20 nominees. The four awards are Rising Star, Staff Excellence, Outstanding Service to the College Community and the Staff Excellence Award for part-time employees. Award descriptions and electronic nominations forms will be located under “Staff Appreciation Awards” at www.nic.edu/staffassembly. Shortly after nominations close you will receive an e-mail notice regarding the online voting process. Announcements of award winners will be made on May 17th at the Commencement breakfast.

Poverty Simulation April 23rd (Erin Norvell)This interactive experience is designed to increase our understanding of poverty and I would really encourage your attendance if you can make it. There is no charge for this event, sponsored by the NIC Diversity Events Committee. We need a final count by the 17th; register at www.nic.edu/povertysim

Campus Construction Projects Updates (Bill McElver)Bill updated the group on the status of the following campus projects in progress:

Monument Signs

Gym Floor—on schedule!

Meyer Health Science Lab for PTA program

Educated Cup at SUB

One Card Office at SUB

Siebert 2nd floor restrooms

Outdoor Pursuits—new ramp to shop

Ed Corridor Open Space Project

Aerospace—new leased building on Dakota Avenue in Hayden

Shout-Outs
To Kevin Lane, custodian; on behalf of Paul, Colleen and the entire PE/RRM faculty, we appreciate your hard work and attention to detail in the Winton/Post building. You could probably eat off of our floors now! You’re the best!”